Jack Palermo's mind is bent on avenging the death of his brother, killed by a gang of outlaws. Jack's heart has known goodness only in that brother and their deceased mother, until he meets Lina. Lina Gaitan, her parents killed on the trail when she was twelve, now lives and teaches in Wylder's Catholic orphanage. Appreciating her pious life, she still yearns for adventure—and romance. On a nature walk with her students, Lina finds Jack shot and left for dead. As she nurses him back to health, they become friends, then engage in stolen passionate moments. But Jack wants a vendetta, while Lina is too good for his world. How can she make him see revenge will rob him of the future they could have together?